Nikki Hawkes

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Take control of your menopause with acupuncture

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If you struggle with symptoms of the menopause such as hot flashes you are not alone. Symptoms due to changes in women’s hormone levels can make you feel like you’re going crazy. Most women have at least some symptoms at this time. But, for up to 20% of women these symptoms are very distressing.

Symptoms during menopause

  • night sweats and/or day sweats
  • tiredness and problems sleeping
  • emotional changes such as feeling more anxious
  • cognitive changes such as brain fog
  • joint pain
  • vaginal dryness and loss of libido

And all this, lasting on average for four or five years. [Read more…] about Take control of your menopause with acupuncture

How to prevent migraines during pregnancy

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The good news is that more than half of women report improvements in their migraines during pregnancy. Unfortunately, you won’t know if you are one of the lucky ones until you’re pregnant. Since migraine medication can be harmful to an unborn child, ideally it should be avoided in pregnancy. Yet, being without your migraine medications might be a scary prospect. Thank goodness there are several safe, non-pharmaceutical options that help prevent migraines during pregnancy.

Many migraine medications are most dangerous in the first trimester, a time when a woman can be pregnant without knowing. So, if you suffer from migraines and you’re planning to have a baby, you might also want to consider tapering off your migraine preventers before your pregnancy begins.

Non-drug treatment options are considered safer during pregnancy and can be started before the pregnancy. It is a good idea to get started early since some may take a few weeks or months to establish their benefits. [Read more…] about How to prevent migraines during pregnancy

Can acupuncture improve acne?

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This 2018 review discusses the treatment of acne vulgaris, usually known as acne. Comparing acupuncture with conventional drug treatments, for this common, chronic skin condition.

What causes acne?

Researchers believe that four main factors influence acne formation:

  • follicular keratinisation, in which cells lining the hair follicles, instead of being shed onto the skin’s surface, clump together and block the follicle
  • increased skin sebum production, or a change in the sebum composition, possibly as a result of hormonal influences
  • infection with acne causing bacteria, Propionibacterium acnes, which promotes inflammation
  • release of immune system compounds that promote and perpetuate inflammation, which causes follicular keratinisation.

[Read more…] about Can acupuncture improve acne?

Is acupuncture without needles effective?

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Acupuncture without needles? How is that possible, you might ask. Well there are many different types of acupuncture. So, in my practice, whilst I offer traditional Chinese Medicine acupuncture I am also aware that many people are put off from trying acupuncture due to a needle phobia. For this reason, for some time I have been using low level laser therapy for patients with needle phobia. This is a type of acupuncture that uses a therapeutic laser instead of a needle. Laser therapy has been the subject of many studies to establish its efficacy. Though study data is sometimes conflicting, this 2015 systematic review discusses the effect of laser acupuncture for a wide range of musculoskeletal disorders.

Musculoskeletal disorders are those conditions that affect the structures involved with movement of the body. This includes problems such as injuries or aches and pains of muscles, tendons, ligaments and joints. These symptoms are very common and affect most people at some point. In fact, research suggests that 1.7 billion people worldwide are affected by musculoskeletal problems. [Read more…] about Is acupuncture without needles effective?

Complementary therapies for chronic neck pain

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This is the fourth and last article in this series of articles about complementary therapies for chronic pain. The series is mostly based on the British Medical Journal article that discusses the available scientific evidence for various therapies including acupuncture, herbal medicine, cupping, and mind-body techniques. This particular article will focus on therapies for neck pain. [Read more…] about Complementary therapies for chronic neck pain

Which therapies work for low back pain?

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This is the third article in a series of posts about complementary therapies for chronic pain conditions. See the research in this review in the British Medical Journal.

Read the first two posts of the series here:
Which therapies for chronic pain?
Which therapy – chronic pain and rheumatoid arthritis

This third article is about the efficacy of complementary therapies for chronic low back pain. This type of pain is also known as lumbago. This is the most common painful musculoskeletal condition. Lumbago has many causes but few therapies with much scientific evidence of effectiveness.  [Read more…] about Which therapies work for low back pain?

Which therapy – chronic pain and rheumatoid arthritis

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This is the second post in a series of posts about the potential benefits of complementary therapies for people living with chronic pain. In case you missed it, you can find the first post here.

This post focusses on research related to several complementary therapies and rheumatoid arthritis. As reported in a review article in the British Medical Journal.

Acupuncture and rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease of the joints, that involves chronic inflammation, deformity and chronic pain. People with rheumatoid arthritis usually take long term medication, such as NSAIDs and anti-rheumatics for pain, swelling and stiffness. These conventional treatments are associated with significant side effects and risks. [Read more…] about Which therapy – chronic pain and rheumatoid arthritis

Which therapies for chronic pain?

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Chronic pain is a leading reason that people will use complementary therapies. As an acupuncturist and medical herbalist people living with pain often seek my help. Commonly expressing a desire to reduce pain-relieving medications. Especially in relation to any side effects that they might experience. Yet, how can you choose a complementary therapy to help manage or relieve chronic pain? Is there any scientific evidence to help you decide? In fact, this 2017 review published in the British Medical Journal discusses just that. The available evidence for using certain complementary therapies for chronic pain conditions. I will aim to provide a summary of the review alongside some personal observations.

The review discusses rheumatoid arthritis, chronic low back pain, and chronic neck and shoulder pain. As this topic is huge, this post will form part of a series of posts. Starting with a discussion of what chronic pain is. Later posts will continue with the available findings from the review for different therapies. These include acupuncture, mind-body medicine, nutrition and fasting, herbal medicine and nutrients, and cupping.

[Read more…] about Which therapies for chronic pain?

How to manage stress

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Are you feeling the effects of stress? Do you feel like you’re just not going to cope if just one more thing happens? And then it does! Well, read on… because I have a few tips to help get you through.

A little bit of stress is actually good for us, but too much can make us ill. When we’re in the middle of a crisis it can seem like there are too many problems and too few solutions. Work and family demands, financial worries and not enough time in the day. Not to mention all the global concerns that affect us all. It can all seem too much.

When stress occurs over the long term it can take its toll on our health. Though it might feel like you have no control and there is little you can do. Just recognising that you are under stress can help you to better manage its effects on your body. [Read more…] about How to manage stress

8 natural alternatives to NSAIDs

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NSAIDs or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are back in the news. A British Medical Journal article says all NSAIDs increase heart attack risk. The report also states that the risk is highest in the first month of use and with higher doses. While the danger for an individual may be small it is bad news if you take these medicines regularly. 

What are NSAIDs?

These drugs are common and widely available. Some are prescription only while others are sold over the counter. They are used for relief of pain, to reduce inflammation or to lower a fever. They might be taken for joint or muscle pain, sprains and strains. Or, to relieve headaches, migraine, period pain or toothache.

[Read more…] about 8 natural alternatives to NSAIDs